This disclosure relates generally to applications, and more specifically to presenting content to a user promoting interaction with an application installed on a client device.
Online systems, such as social networking systems, present content to their users via client devices with which the users interact. Many online systems present content to a user via an application associated with the online system executing on the user's client device. The online system communicates content to the application associated with the online system, which presents the content to a user. Multiple applications associated with different online system may be executed by a user's client device, allowing the user to receive content from and interact with multiple online systems via the client device.
Additionally, entities (e.g., a business) may present content items to online system users to gain public attention for products or services or to persuade online system users to take an action regarding products or services provided by the entity. Many online systems may receive compensation from an entity for presenting certain types of content items provided by the entity to online system users. Frequently, online systems charge an entity for each presentation of certain types of content to an online system user (e.g., each “impression” of the content) or for each interaction with the certain types of content by online system users.
Content items presented to a user by an online system via an application associated with the online system may identify or promote an additional application associated with another online system or also associated with the online system. However, when determining whether to present a content item identifying an additional application to a user, conventional online systems are unable to determine whether the additional application is installed on a client device associated with the user. For example, conventional online system may present a content item to a user promoting installation of a mobile application the user has already installed. As an additional example, the advertisement publisher may present an advertisement promoting user engagement with an application that is not installed on a client device associated with the user. Presenting the user with content items promoting interaction with applications that are not installed on client device associated with the user decreases the likelihood of the user interacting with the content items, which may decrease revenue to the online system if it received compensation from an entity for user interactions with the content items. Further, presenting the user with content items promoting installation of an application that the user has already installed may also decrease revenue to the online system and may cause a third party system associated with the promoted application to provide compensation to the online system for presentation of content items promoting an action that the user has already performed. Such compensation for promoting already performed actions may discourage a third party system associated with the promoted application from further compensating the online system to present content items promoting certain interactions with the promoted application, reducing the online system's revenue.